A final report issued by the Multicounty Grand Jury does not signal the end of the
state's Tax Commission investigation, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said today.
The Grand Jury issued its final report this afternoon before adjourning after
18 months of service.

The Grand Jury also named one person in a sealed indictment returned late Tuesday
and one person in a sealed indictment returned today. Edmondson said the indictments
will be unsealed at 10 a.m. May 12 before District Judge David Harbour. The attorney
general said both indictments relate to the Tax Commission investigation.

"We hope to have a new Grand Jury in place by the middle of summer," Edmondson said.
"This group of grand jurors did a fantastic job and we will continue their work
investigating allegations of wrongdoing at the Tax Commission."

The Grand Jury spent much of its time focusing on charges of bribery and kickbacks
among Tax Commission employees and service agents.View more

Of those indicted in the Tax Commission investigation, six were Tax Commission
employees, one a tag agent and the remainder service agents doing business
with the commission. The alleged crimes included; bribery, racketeering,
preventing a witness from giving testimony, conspiracy against the state,
perjury, making a false or fraudulent application to the OTC, obtaining
money by false pretenses and making a false or fraudulent claim to the state.

According to the final report, the Grand Jury found, "serious deficiencies
and at times blatant disregard for state statutes, regulations, and policies
and procedures, in the following areas: the lack of regulation regarding the
supervision of employees; the lack of regulation regarding disbursement of
state funds to employees for travel; the accepted and often times ignored
instances of criminal wrongdoing by its employees; the culture which
developed and was allowed to thrive due to the lack of training and
supervision that created an environment ripe for corruption by its
employees and service agents doing business with the OTC."

"While the jurors focused much of their time on the Tax Commission
scandal, they also assisted 17 county sheriff's offices, 49 municipal
police departments, 14 district attorneys offices, three drug task
forces and numerous state and federal investigative agencies
including the U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Secret Service, Oklahoma
State Bureau of Investigation, State Fire Marshal and Oklahoma
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Control," Edmondson said.

In total, the Grand Jury issued 2,120 subpoenas, heard from 198 of witnesses,
returned 10 indictments containing 115 separate counts against 17
individuals. The Grand Jury met for 37 days over 15 sessions.

This was the eighth multicounty Grand Jury to be empaneled.

"I applaud the grand jurors for their hard work," Edmondson said.
"Many of the cases brought before this Grand Jury were complex,
and that is especially so with the Tax Commission investigation.
I appreciate their commitment."

Edmondson's office administers the Grand Jury and is conducting
the Tax Commission investigation in conjunction with the Oklahoma
State Bureau of Investigation.